


He's Not The Only One Home

by AmySear



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: F/M, I own only original characters which technically is you so I guess I don't own anything, MAJOR CIVIL WAR SPOILERS, Marvel owns everything, Protective Bucky Barnes, Reader-Insert, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, reader swears a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-06-07 13:23:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6806665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmySear/pseuds/AmySear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Steve didn’t just find Bucky in that apartment? Did Captain America really think his friend had been alone all this time? </p><p>OR</p><p>My version of some scenes in Captain America: Civil War with Reader-Insert. MAJOR CIVIL WAR SPOILERS!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Knock, Knock

**Author's Note:**

> I saw Civil War earlier this weekend, and loved it (of course!). This has been plaguing my brain all weekend and I needed to get it out. It is unapologetically totally reader-insert. Be warned of TONS of Civil War spoilers. I apologize if the timeline or movie details are slightly off. I may edit it after I see the movie again to fix any discrepancies. 
> 
> It is also my first Reader-Insert, so please let me know if I am tagging incorrectly or otherwise not following the rules like the cool kids :)

Despite the sunlight illuminating the apartment, you were just waking up from a short morning nap. You zipped up the sleeping bag and walked around the corner to the bathroom and sighed in relief as your spine cracked as you leaned back. The sleeping bag was on top of a mattress pad, but the old box spring isn’t what made your back sore. You were used to sleeping with strong arms spooning you. Lying flat on the damn bed was definitely not your best sleeping position. 

You sighed as you washed your hands. You could see the dark circles under your eyes from the past few days. You were exhausted because he was exhausted. You were anxious because he was anxious. Your boyfriend was always on edge to begin with, but he had been more high strung lately because of all the talk about the accords and the Avengers. You couldn’t get it out of your mind either. You wondered if you should call someone---maybe one of the Avenger people---and talk to them about your boyfriend. He had a complicated history, but they of all people should understand! You were drying your hands on your jeans as you walked back into the main living area when you stopped short and felt all breath leave your body. 

Captain America. Was here. Inside your fucking apartment. 

“Holy shit,” you said aloud as your mind began to scroll through all the scenarios Bucky had told you to say or do if something like this were to ever happen.

You felt another hand grip your hip and pull you back against him. Oh thank god! Bucky was home. You could just follow his lead. Captain Rogers didn’t look surprised (he must have heard you in the bathroom when he came in), but instead looked at Bucky as if he were a ghost. 

“Do you know me?” Captain America asked after a moment of the two men staring at each other. 

“You’re Steve. I read about you at the museum,” your boyfriend murmured softly. 

The Avenger’s leader tightened his lips. “I know you’re nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you’re lying.” 

“He’s not lying!” you interrupted with a furrowed brow. “He knows who you are! He talks about you and the Commandos and---“ you stopped talking when you felt that metal hand squeeze your hip in warning. Oh yeah, rule #1---don’t say too much!

Captain America’s eyes darted to yours in a silent plea for more information. Your boyfriend didn’t give you the opportunity to spill any more secrets. “I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.”

“What happened in Vienna?” you tried to turn around to ask him, but found his arm still tight against you. 

“Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they’re not planning on taking you alive,” Captain Rogers said gravely as he briefly paused to listen to the headset in his ear. 

Bucky let go of you so he could take the glove off that was covering his metal hand. “That’s smart. Good strategy,” he sighed in defeat. He grabbed his emergency backpack and threw it out the window on a neighboring rooftop. 

Your eyes were as wide as saucers as you grabbed your nearby jacket and zipped it up. Okay, backpack out the window meant he was enacting escape plan #3----AKA get-the-fuck-out-of-here-as-soon-as-possible plan! You quickly pulled your long hair in a bun and pulled on your shoes. Clearly, a shit storm was about to land and you had no fucking idea what you were supposed to do next. 

“This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Buck,” Captain America replied, though he looked warily at you as if he had no idea how you were going to fit in this scenario. 

“It always ends in a fight,” Bucky replied bitterly as he grabbed another backpack and looped your arms through the straps. 

The hero ignored his reply. “You pulled me from the river. Why?”

“I don’t know.”

That piqued your interest again. Why was he lying to Captain America? “Yes you do,” you mumbled under your breath as you shot Bucky a challenging look. 

“Yes you do,” Captain America repeated as he looked at his friend. 

This time Bucky was standing tall and zipped his jacket as he gave Captain America an appraising look. “Help me get her out of here,” Bucky ordered in a strong voice but with desperation in his eyes. 

Captain America nodded and took a step closer to you. “Go,” he said simply before the bullets began entering the room. 

*** 

As predicted, everything went to the shitter. Bucky had never let go of your hand as he and Captain America fought through the German terrorist squad. He even pulled you on his back as he ran through traffic away from some guy dressed up as a fucking cat. 

When the police surrounded you and the other men, your boyfriend quietly ‘shhed’ you as your mouth began to go off at a mile a minute. You looked at him with watery eyes as he nodded toward you in complacency as they put the handcuffs on him. Bucky gave one last stern glance to Captain America and jerked his head toward you before they led him away to a glass cell inside an armored truck. 

You moved to walk after him, but Captain Rogers, feeling empowered with a mission of protection, took your hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as he walked you to the police van where the other men were being loaded inside. You faintly registered _THE_ Tony Stark AKA Iron Man watching you with his brows raised in confusion as he said something along the lines of, “Who’s the chick??” 

As the van began moving, you bit your lip to try to prevent the tears from falling. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Bucky was captured. You’re pretty sure you were arrested too. What the fuck were you going to do?? 

“I’m Steve,” Captain America said to the right of you in a soft voice as he read your frightened body language. “This is Sam,” he gestured to your other side. The man on the right side of Sam didn’t say anything. 

You mumbled your name back in response. Steve nodded his head. “You been with Bucky long?” he asked softly.

“A year and a half,” you replied in a whisper. 

“And how exactly did you end up with the Winter Soldier? Did you know who he was?” Sam demanded with a raised brow. 

His tone made you grimace a little. Were you supposed to tell the truth? “I work at a museum based in London. I help form the collections for traveling exhibits. I move a lot,” you said vaguely, feeling very much aware at the man at the other side of the van who was staring blankly ahead with a frown. 

“Hmph,” Sam answered, clearly not satisfied. 

“And you met Bucky?” Steve prompted. 

You shrugged and cleared his throat. Telling half-truths to Captain America should be okay....right?? “Yeah…he was looking for old files stored with us. I helped him...he’s a good guy.”

The other black man in the car on the other side of Sam snorted in disbelief. You shot him an irritated look, but forced yourself to swallow the insult that was bubbling up. You could see the van coming closer to an ominous looking building. You needed to be on your best behavior.

“Listen dude…err…sir,” you said to the man dressed as the cat as the butterflies of anxiety began fluttering in your stomach again, “I don’t know why you came after Bucky. But you need to know, he was brainwashed by Hydra. As in the super evil organization for assholes who want to take over the world. He was the Winter Soldier because they forced him to be. He couldn’t control himself. He’s not blame!”

The van came to a stop. The man turned toward you. “He was not brainwashed yesterday when he killed my father. I will take his life.” 

With that, he got out of the van and was led away while you took a deep breath and failed to prevent a snarl. “He was with me yesterday, you asshole! We fucked in the morning and then spent the afternoon cataloging fucking files from my work! So you got it wrong, Mr. Cat-in-the-Hat!”

The man didn’t so much as pause as he walked away. You were breathing hard from your outburst. The police around you didn’t seem to know what to make of you. 

“Nothing will happen to Bucky while I’m around,” Steve murmured as he placed a hand on your shoulder to lead you away from the van. 

You nodded and pursed your lips. “What’s gonna happen to him? Why does that dude think Bucky killed his dad? He honest-to-fucking-god was with me all of yesterday. He didn’t have an episode or anything!”

“I believe you,” Captain America said simply. 

The military truck opened and Bucky’s glass cell slid out and was getting pulled in the opposite direction. Your eyes locked with his crystal blue as your boyfriend tried to give you a reassuring smile. A new wave of anger surged through you. You couldn’t let this happen to him! He didn’t do anything wrong! You rushed forward toward the cell as shouts of men erupted around you. Bucky jerked against his restraints as he shook his head. Strong hands grasped you from behind as you stared at your boyfriend, no longer trying to stop the tears from flowing. ‘It’s okay’ he was mouthing to you before the screen on his cell closed shut. 

“Hey, hey---it’s okay,” Steve Rogers repeated in your ear. “C’mon. We will figure this out,” he kept a hand on your shoulder and he and Sam led you in the opposite direction.


	2. Uhh...Soldier?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the comments! I appreciate the feedback and response to the story! I hope everyone likes it :)

You were sitting at a conference table with your arms folded against your chest and your head leaning back against the comfy leather chair waiting for some jackass to come back and ask you more questions when you heard the shouts begin. You looked wildly around the room and watched through the glass windows as people began to run around in chaos. 

Your boyfriend taught you well. You didn’t even hesitate when you went ripped open the door and sped down the hallway. You knew you needed to find Captain America so you both could find Bucky. After a few flights of stairs, you heard shouts and grunts of pain from the open levels below you. You stopped dead in your tracks and waited to proceed until you figured out what was happening at the lower level.  
Heavy footsteps echoed on the metal as a figure stomped upstairs. You took a few steps back in fear, but breathed a great sigh of relief when you saw it was Bucky!

“Oh my god, Bucky! Fuck! We have to get out of here,” you exclaimed as you rushed toward him. 

He caught you with his metal arm and held you at an arm distance away before you could grab him in a hug. “Ouch! Jesus, baby, what’s wrong?? Haven’t I been through enough today?” you sassed in response as you tried to wiggle out of his tight grip. 

He didn’t answer you. Instead he was watching you through narrow eyes as though sizing you up. Your stomach dropped. The man standing in front of you was your boyfriend-----but his eyes were darker, his whole demeanor colder. _This_ was the Winter Soldier. “Bucky? Don’t you know me?” you whispered hesitantly.

No response. 

Instead he scoffed in a mocking tone and pushed you aside so you lost your balance and ended up on your ass. 

“Fuuuuucccck,” you swore as you watched him thunder off. Your day just kept getting better and better. What were you going to do now that Bucky was in Winter Soldier mode?? Hell, the most exposure you got to the Winter Soldier was when Bucky was dominant in the bedroom. Otherwise, he told you if he ever slipped in his old HYDRA brainwashing that you needed to run away as fast as possible because he would kill you. (Though technically the Winter Soldier didn’t kill you….you couldn’t wait to tell Bucky that he was wrong--if you ever talked to him again!!) 

You heard more footsteps on the metal stairs. You quickly pushed yourself off your tender ass. “Are you okay?” Captain America asked as he quickly ran past you.

You nodded and pointed the direction Bucky went. “He went---“

“I know,” Steve cut you off. “Sam is coming to get you. I’ll get Bucky.” 

Before you could anything else, Steve was gone. One of the police people---a woman with long blond hair---ran in the hallway. “Come with me. I’ll get you to Sam,” she ordered as she pulled you into a nearby elevator. 

“Sam, as in Captain America’s friend with the wings? Where is he?” you asked as the elevator descended quickly. 

“He’s waiting in the black truck in the basement. Car parked all the way to the left. Walk to the car and don’t turn around. Just go. I’ll find a way to meet up with you guys later,” she answered with a brisk nod.  
When the elevator doors opened, you headed straight toward the black car with the engine already revving. “Pleaase tell me Steve has Bucky,” you said immediately as you slid into the car. 

“I think you mean the Winter Soldier,” Sam corrected as he pulled out of the underground garage. You gave him a dirty look. He shrugged in return with a slight smirk on his face. “Your boyfriend just tried to kill me. Clearly he’s not himself. We’ll find them…eventually. 

** 

You did find them about 20 minutes later, both Steve and Bucky soaking went---the latter passed out in Captain America’s arms. You were SO not on board with this plan. Clamping a man’s metal arm down in a machine while he was passed out was not fucking okay. But you tried to understand their cautiousness. That didn’t stop you from taking a damp cloth and wiping the blood off Bucky’s face and arms as he lay like a limp fish. 

Within the hour, Bucky woke up with a gasp and blinked a few times as he adjusted to his surroundings. You heard Sam call for Captain Rogers. 

Bucky mumbled your name under his breath as he slowly lifted his head to face you. You awarded his glance with a tearful smile and grabbed him in a hug (as best as you could with him arm restrained). “I’m here, Buck. Scared the shit outta me,” you murmured against his neck. 

You felt his scruff scratch your chin. His flesh hand wrapped around your waist and he pressed a kiss on your head as he sighed. “Steve,” he asked in a raspy voice, presumably to his friend and Sam behind you. 

“Which Bucky am I talking to?” Captain America demanded. 

Bucky leaned back as far as he could in his chair, but kept his flesh hand on your shoulder, his thumb gently stroking back and forth. “Your mother’s name was Sarah,” he began quietly. “You used to fill the insides of your shoes with newspapers.” 

Steve smiled wistfully as his eyes glossed over in emotion. “That’s not something you could have learned in a museum,” he nodded in appreciation.

Sam wasn’t as convinced. “Are we just supposed to take that and be okay with it??”

“What did I do?” Bucky asked with a slight sigh. Your chest tightened at the helplessness in his voice. 

“Enough,” Steve replied gravely.

You shot Steve a dirty look and squeezed Bucky’s hand that was resting on your shoulder. “ _You_ did nothing. That asshole psychiatrist did!” Sam had filled you in on Steve’s theory on the drive over. 

“Goddamn it!” Bucky snarled. “I knew this was gonna happen. Whatever HYDRA did is still up there. He just had to say the goddamn words.”

Captain America and the Falcon exchanged glances. “He went through all the trouble just to talk to you for ten minutes. What did he want?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I need something a little more than ‘I don’t know’. People are dead because of him!” Steve demanded with his hands on his hips.

Your boyfriend tightened his lips and furrowed his brow as he scrambled his brain for the memory. “He wanted to know about Siberia. Where they kept me.” 

That took you all by surprise. “Why?” Sam asked. 

Bucky scoffed and gave Steve a dark look. “Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier.” 

The room became quiet. You were the first to speak with a low, drawn out, "Fuuuuck."

“Doll, get my arm out of this and I’ll explain,” Bucky mumbled to you under his breath. 

Steve and Sam rushed forward to release him. You vaguely recalled Bucky explaining the 1991 mission and the super serums he had taken as he rubbed his hands together nervously. You were still sitting cross legged at his feet, but your head felt like you were underwater. 

This was all becoming so much. When you met Bucky you honestly had no idea who he was. You just liked the guy. He was handsome, polite, considerate---you had no problem searching for the things at the museum that he needed. He was mostly interested in old journals from WWII, especially on the Howling Commandos. He came to visit you more often as time went on, even asked you to lunch with a shy smile but a devilish glint in his eye. You got to know the flirty side of him, the romantic side of him. You could feel under his glove that he wore a prosthetic arm when he held your hand, but you gave him the space to tell you when you were ready. He seemed nervous sometimes, embarrassed about where he lived so you mostly spent time at your apartment. You didn’t realize his arm was metal until you had sex for the first time----weird, yeah, but kind of a kinky turn-on at the same time. You had been dating him for two months when you told him you loved him as he held you against his chest in sweaty bedsheets. He froze as if he had been shot, kissed your head, and left quickly. You didn’t hear from him for two days. On the third day he invited you back to his apartment (if you could even call it that), confessed his love for you, and told you _everything_. You didn’t call him again for two days, until you showed up on the third day and told him you didn’t care about who he was or his past---you loved him and would never leave his side. You moved in with him in his shack for his peace of mind and took the jobs at the museum that would keep you both moving often. Sometimes it was hard, but at least you had him. 

But still, this shit was out of your playing field. You were a fucking normal person. Smarter than most, sure. Swear more than most, definitely. But you were not a superhero or a supersoldier or a super anything. You didn’t even buy super tampons----you just needed the regular absorbency!! You literally were regular with everything! 

You broke out of your daze when Bucky stood up and extended his metal hand to pull you up. Steve gave you a sympathetic look as though he understood the storm battling in your mind. 

“We’ll find a motel room, clean up a bit, and make some calls…it’ll all be okay,” Captain America said with a firm nod and a hand on Bucky’s shoulder as he led Bucky out of the room with you and Sam trailing behind.


	3. 5 Minutes Is Plenty

You were standing in a motel bathroom with a towel wrapped around you as you pulled a small towel through your hair to dry it off. After meeting up with the blond lady from the German terrorist squad (Sharon?) who gave you all back your belongings, Steve drove the group to a motel off the highway to clean up and re-group. Bucky, Steve, and Sam were hard at work trying to come up with a plan to get around Tony and his team so they could chase after the evil psychiatrist dude. Steve was on the phone earlier with someone named Clint when you excused yourself to take a shower in the connecting room. 

“Fuck me,” you mumbled as your hair tangled around your fingers. You felt so anxious and scared about everything that was happening that your hands were shaking a little.

The door to the bathroom squeaked as it was pushed open. “You okay, doll?” a quiet voice asked as you continued pulling the towel through your hair. You looked up to meet Bucky’s icy blue eyes in the mirror and gave him a small smile. 

“I’m okay, soldier. A few bruises here and there. Nothing a kiss can’t fix,” you tried to be sassy but the wariness in your eyes didn’t give your comment the same sparkle it usually did. 

A small smile crossed his face as he pulled you toward him so he could gently place a kiss on your lips. You sighed against him. He grabbed the towel from your hand and set it on the bathroom counter. He didn’t say anything, but instead gently began running his fingers through your hair so he could undo the knots you frantically created. You tried to ignore the tears that threatened to bubble up by such a gentle gesture from the former assassin. 

“Thanks, baby,” you sighed as you ran your fingers through your now smoothed hair. You leaned your head so it rested on his shoulder. “I’ve just been a little bit of a fucking headcase over all of this. I mean Captain America seems really nice, and even Sam is cool and I’m happy to meet them but I didn’t think it would be like this!”

“I know.” His voice sounded guilty. “But I got you doll. Nothing to be afraid of. I won’t let you get hurt.” 

You turned so you could cup Bucky’s scruffy cheeks. “Bucky, I don’t give a shit about getting hurt. I want _you_ to be okay. I want people to stop being dicks and thinking you’re a bad guy."

He snorted at that, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he pulled you in a tight hug and held you against him for a long time in silence as you both were content to just be near each other. The lavender body wash you just used in your shower provided a calming aroma. “I didn’t want you to get wrapped up in this stuff,” he mumbled against the top of your head. 

You nuzzled against his shoulder. “I knew what I was signing up for when I fell for a famous Howling Commando hero. Don’t get all angsty on me! You know I love you,” you looked up when you said this so you could place another kiss on his lips. 

He took a deep breath through his nose and returned the kiss with fervor. When your lips parted, he gave you a small smile. “Love you too doll.”

“Wanna help me out of this towel?” you attempted to lighten the mood and wiggled your eyebrows. 

Bucky laughed and grabbed you in one last hug so he could give a light spank on your ass. “That’s awfully tempting, woman. But as much as I want to get lost with my head between your thighs right now, we don’t have much time before we leave for the airport to get Steve’s friends.” 

“Damn Captain America being a cock-block!” you pouted as you threw your towel on the bed and began pulling on your clothes. 

You had to smirk at the predatory look Bucky was giving you as you were pulling your panties on. He shook his head a little as though to end his dirty fantasy in his head. 

“So what is the plan for the airport?” you asked so both of you could stop the torture in your minds. Now really wasn’t the most appropriate time for fucking.

He cleared his throat and subtly adjusted his pants. “The airport…. I talked to Steve about it, and we are both worried about Stark catching up with us and you getting---“ 

“Oh, Jesus Christ!” you interrupted as soon as you saw where the story was going, “Here it comes!” You shook your head and stormed away to the other side of the room and pretended to look through your backpack. 

You heard him grunt in frustration behind you. “Doll,” he said warningly. 

His tone only incited your anger more. You were not in the mood for the talk about how he needed to put himself in danger and you needed to stay away for your safety or whatever the fuck he thought would happen. “Bucky,” you began in a clipped voice, “Just save yourself the oxygen about needing to keep me safe or away from you or some other bullshit. Nothing you could possibly say could make me stay away from the fight. At all. Nothing. Zip, zilch, zero, nada, nothing!”

“I’m not gonna be responsible for hurting you! That asshole knows what triggers my conditioning…he can control me! You’re not gonna be anywhere near me when I’m around him…I won’t let you get hurt!” your boyfriend practically snarled. 

“Bullshit! I met you as the Winter Soldier...you didn’t hurt me. In fact, I’m pretty sure the Winter Soldier was checking out my rack,” you pointed a finger at him with a smug smile.

You could see the fire ignite in his eyes. “I—He didn’t see you as a threat! You were just a civilian in the way. But that doesn’t mean that interaction will always be so civil with the Soldier. It’s not worth the risk.”

“I don’t give a shit. I’m going!” You jumped up on the bed so you towered over him for a change.

“No you’re not! You’re gonna catch a plane to London at the airport with one of Steve’s friends!”

“Fuck you! I’ll steal a fucking jet and follow you! Watch me!”

“Doll, I swear---“ 

“Swear all you want, super soldier. It ain’t gonna change my mind!” 

Before he could sweep you off the bed, a gentle knock sounded on the door connecting the other motel room. Steve opened the door after a moment with an apologetic smile. “Hey...I don’t mean to interrupt…”

“Yes he did. We can hear you in the next room!” Sam called from behind him. 

Steve gave an exasperated look over his shoulder to Sam. He walked in the room and stood between you and Bucky (where you were still standing on the bed). “Listen, I don’t want to cause any problems. Bucky and I talked earlier. Our plan is to stop this guy from waking up any other Winter Soldiers. As much as I agree that this is a dangerous mission, I can also see that leaving a lady alone may not work out as well as we thought. Clint told me that Tony and the others are getting pretty confrontational and the last thing we want is you getting taken by them.” 

“Fucking no shit!” you interrupted. “Thank god Captain America is being rational!”

“Goddammit doll! That doesn’t mean you go guns blazing after some psychopath!” Bucky growled and lunged toward you again. You jumped to the other bed to evade his arm. Sam reached out to block Bucky and rolled his eyes. 

“Like I was saying,” Captain America announced loudly to get attention back on him. “I think I have a compromise. When we get to Siberia, Bucky and I will go in first with Clint, Wanda, and this Mr. Lang. Sam will stay on the jet running the coms for us with you. If Bucky’s Winter Soldier is triggered or if things go south, Sam will leave with you on the jet.” You opened your mouth to protest. Steve held up a hand to stop you. “I won’t leave Bucky if he is triggered. You know I won’t. If things go bad, we will find a way to leave and re-group for another plan of attack. You have my word.”

Your chewed on your bottom lip. As far as compromises go, that wasn’t a bad one. Bucky seemed to be thinking the same thing. He made brief eye contact with you and then gave his friend a stiff nod. “At the first hint of danger from anyone though, she is gone,” he added firmly. 

Captain America smirked. “Don’t worry pal---I’ll make sure your girl is protected.” 

The men looked at you. You crossed your arms and gave a noncommittal shrug of your head. “Fine,” you muttered. 

“Good, that’s settled!” Sam announced with a clap of his hands. 

“We’re leaving in 5 for the airport. Grab what you need,” Steve said with a nod toward you as he began walking back to the connecting motel room.

“Oh, before we go,” Sam said as he stopped at the door, “I want to make sure you knew that Cap meant 5 minutes, not hours. Sorry to keep being a cock-block, but there’s not enough time for angry make up lovin’”.

Bucky rolled his eyes and pushed him to the other room so he could close the connecting door. His gaze was practically smoldering when you made eye-contact. You could tell he was still pissed at you, but was also feeling super protective of you. Very alpha male. You squirmed a little and bit your lip. Did Sam say something about being a cock-block? Let him eavesdrop on this….you were about to jump Bucky Barnes’ bones. 

Bucky walked back over to the bed and grabbed you by your waist so you could wrap your legs around him. “He said 5 minutes, doll. Let’s prove them wrong,” Bucky whispered with a devilish grin. 

You couldn’t help but giggle. “God I love you, my overprotective soldier.” You quickly pulled your shirt off. “Five minutes starting now.”

When his lips found yours and the pants came off, you forgot you were keeping track of the time.

**  
Sam wasn’t too pleased about everything he and Cap heard in the connecting room and complained loudly on the way to the airport that they were running 10 minutes late. Steve had a small smile on his face when he made eye-contact with you in the rearview mirror. Bucky didn’t say anything, but was smirking in a relaxed way with his arm around your shoulder in the back seat of the Volkswagen. 

“Geez, what a rapist van,” you muttered as Steve quickly took the corner in the parking garage to park next to a white van with no back windows. 

“Clint knows how to stay subtle,” Sam said as he shook his head. 

Both groups got out of their respective cars. “Captain,” a sandy-blond haired man said with a nod of his head. “Good to see you.”

“Thanks for doing this, Clint. I’m sorry to have called---I wouldn’t unless I really needed your help,” Captain America said with a nod to his teammate. “How about our other recruit?” 

Clint smiled. “He should be raring to go. Have to put a little coffee in him, but he should be good!” Hawkeye opened the door to the van to reveal a dazed looking man who introduced himself as Scott Lang, the ‘Antman’. 

“Who?” you muttered to Bucky under your breath. Your boyfriend shrugged in response. 

Your whispers caught Scott’s attention. “Well hellllo. Scott Lang. Antman,” he introduced himself after he greeted Steve and Sam. “I didn’t know they would be bringing a beautiful woman on the mission. I would have dressed up better.” He thought to himself for a moment and called out to Wanda, “You’re beautiful too! And great!” He turned his attention back to you. “But you are stunning. What’s your name? What’s your superpower?” 

His flattery, while over the top, was genuine and made you blush slightly. You mumbled your name back as he shook your hand and lingered a little too long. You could barely see Bucky out of the corner of your eye, but the scowl on his face and hostility in his stance made you giggle. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Lang. I have no superpower other than the ability to swear in multiple languages and make fucking kickass pancakes in a shit-small kitchen for my soldier here.” You allowed Bucky to wrap a possessive arm around your waist as he pulled you closer to him and continuing scowling toward Scott. 

“Oh whoa dude, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to hit on your woman. But I mean, who can blame me, she’s gorgeous. Not in a model way, but more like in the girl-next-door super sweet and genuine way. Like the type of girl who would still visit you if you were put in prison. Anyway I’m here on your side, remember? No hard feelings right?” Scott shot Bucky a million watt smile and a thumbs up. 

Bucky just stared blankly. Sam clapped a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “Don’t take it personal tic-tac. He’s possessive of his things.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” you challenged but didn’t protest when Bucky entwined his fingers with yours. 

A loud voice came over the airport speakers and began making announcements in German. 

“What are they saying?” Wanda wondered aloud. 

“They’re evacuating the airport,” Bucky answered gravely. 

Steve nodded thoughtfully to this information. “Stark,” he said simply as he and Sam made eye-contact. 

Clint shook his head and rolled his shoulders. “I better stretch,” he mumbled. 

“Time to suit up,” Steve said in a voice of righteous authority.

Everyone began opening their duffel bags and pulling on equipment as you stood in your jeans and a t-shirt. 

“Bucky,” you asked in a whisper as he strapped knives along his leg. “What should I do?? Should I get a knife?? Maybe a laser or something??”

Your boyfriend looked up at you as though you were speaking a different language. “Doll, just stick by me and don’t let anyone come near you….’specially not that antboy.”

“Antman! C’mon dude!” Scott shouted back as he overheard your conversation. 

You couldn’t help but laugh at the indignation in his voice. “Okay, baby,” you said with a sigh as he zipped up his black vest. “I will stay in your shadow. Lead the way.”


	4. Siberia Sucks

So the plan to stick to Bucky’s shadow failed miserably. You tried, you really did. But you realized something pretty quickly…you couldn’t run as fast as him, and you weren’t a trained assassin or superhero. So when the fighting started, you were shit out of luck!! 

This is how you found yourself standing with your back against a luggage van as all your friends fought all of their super friends in a spectacular fashion all around you. Bucky was currently kicking the ass of the evil Mr. Cat-in-the-Hat. You had a long water hose in your hand (normally used for spraying down airplanes) which you were currently using to spray Stark and his team every time they ran or flew by. It worked great to distract them, but you had a hard time aiming the hose straight due to the water pressure. 

“GODDAMMIT! Who the hell keeps spraying me with water?? It’s just annoying at this point!” Tony bellowed through his Iron Man suit. 

“It appears to be that young woman that we have since learned is the romantic partner of Sergeant Barnes,” Vision mused aloud as he lazered a truck midway in the air that a giant Antman had thrown. 

“Okay, I realize that. Wasn’t looking for an answer to the question,” Stark muttered as he dodged an arrow from Clint. 

You realized you were a pesky fly in the soup, but you weren’t exactly making a difference in the fight. You looked around for any type of tool you could use to interrupt the fighting. You spotted Steve hiding behind an overturned airplane and ran toward him through the chaos to get more direction. Suddenly your feet were tied together and you fell forward with a clumsy yell. 

“Sorry!” a young voice said as they landed by you. “But Mr. Stark said you were really starting to piss him off and he wanted to get you out of the way.” 

You wiggled around to get on your back so you could sit up. You saw a guy dressed in red and blue spandex with a spider on his shirt. “Dude!” you yelled as you tried to pull off the sticky webbing around your feet. “What the fuck?? Is this jizz or something?? Did you literally jizz hog-tie me??”

“What?” the young Spiderman spluttered back, obviously embarrassed. “No—it’s---don’t worry what it is---it’s not THAT---it’s----“. He didn’t have a chance to finish his explanation since the Falcon swooped in, scooped him up, and threw him in the window of a nearby terminal. 

A dark figure blocked the sun as they cut the webbing from your feet. “C’mon,” a woman ordered as she lifted you to your feet. She kept a hand wrapped around your elbow as she began to run toward a nearby hangar, dragging you along for a ride. 

“Holy---fuu----ckk---Bla---ck---Wid----“ you sputtered as you gasped for air at her brutal running pace. You recognized the Black Widow from television and knew she was not one to mess with. You also knew she was team Iron Man, but she wasn’t loosening the grip on your arm and you weren’t about to fight _the_ Black Widow. 

“Get on the plane,” she ordered as she brought you in the shadow of a futuristic looking jet. The jealous part of you couldn’t believe that her perfect face hadn’t even broken a sweat! 

“No…I don’t think I should,” you murmured in a hesitant tone as you took a step away from her. 

The redheaded woman rolled her eyes. “I know who you are to Barnes. So does the rest of the intelligence community. Sam, Clint, Wanda---they will be okay when they get captured. _When_ they are captured, not if. Your team is overrun. But Ross will stick you somewhere far away from them, either to be bait for Bucky or learn everything he can about Bucky from you. And you won’t like his methods. So, I tell you again, get on the plane,” the Black Widow ordered in a stern tone. 

You furrowed your brow. “Bucky’s a good guy,” you said with firm conviction as if magically saying that would solve all the problems. 

Her lips lifted in a slight smirk. “I know. Now GO.”

You didn’t wait to be told a third time. You ran up the ramp into the belly of the jet. Inside there were small jumpeats along the side of the plane and a few captain’s chairs facing forward. You twirled around a little and shrugged your shoulders. “Now what?” you wondered aloud. What was the second part of this plan?? Suddenly, the jet rocked violently as a nearby explosion echoed with a surrounding BOOM. You heard shouting outside. Your eyes looked around wildly for something to arm yourself, but you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw Steve and Bucky run up the ramp. 

“Sam, have you found her?? She needs to----oh wait, cancel that. She’s here. We are taking off. Cover us,” Captain America ordered into his headset as his eyes found yours. He rushed past you and began flicking some switches to activate a low ‘hum’ as the jet came to life. 

Bucky took two steps toward you and dragged you to a nearby jumpseat where he proceeded to strap you in. “Where the hell have you been?” he demanded as fastened the seat belt. “Steve and I almost missed our opportunity to get the hell out of here because we were searching everywhere for you!” 

Your eyes narrowed as you got annoyed at his biting tone. “Bucky! I’m not a superperson! Staying by your shadow is a little fucking hard when you get thrown out of windows and I have to take the stairs down. That spider guy got me with his fucking jizz-web, but the Black Widow brought me here and told me I needed to get out of here with you. So here I am! Unharmed and not dead----I think that should be plenty to be thankful for.”

Bucky didn’t answer, but instead glared at you one last time before looking out of the cockpit window as the jet began to take off. 

“Natasha sure knows how to play both sides,” Steve said with a sigh from the nearby controls. “But she was right. We couldn’t leave you there. The plan will just have to change slightly. We will figure it out as we go along.” 

“That’s reassuring,” you mumbled sarcastically as you tried to glance out of the window too to see if anything was happening outside. “Where’s Sam and Wanda and everyone else?”

“Still fighting,” Captain America admitted in a defeated tone. “They had to lose the fight in order for us to win the war.” 

You nodded to that reasoning. So the Black Widow was right. Either way they would get captured. But Steve and Bucky needed to get away so they could stop that fucking asshole psychiatrist or whoever he was from activating more Winter Soldiers. 

Your boyfriend sat down in the jumpseat next to you with his elbows on his knees as he rested his forehead on his hands. “You okay, Buck?” you asked quietly. 

“No, I’m not fucking okay!” he snarled as he snapped up suddenly and stood up. “You weren’t even supposed to be here! This is the last fucking place you should be, on this jet. Not without Sam or Wanda or someone to protect you! So now you’re just coming along to face the deadliest assassins Hydra has ever created. And what? You’re just gonna be along for the ride? What are you gonna be able to do to protect yourself?”

Your gut dropped at his harsh words. You knew he was just stressed, but you couldn’t help but take it personal. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled lowly as you stared at your feet. The trouble with being so normal is you were hilariously useless and in the way. What if something happened to Steve and Bucky because they were trying to protect you? Or worse, what if they were too busy protecting you so the badguys got away and started murdering people?

“She will be okay, Buck. You know we would never let anything happen to her. We will come up with a plan to protect both fronts in this battle. It will all come together once we get to Siberia and gauge where we are at,” Steve said firmly from the controls of the jet. 

Bucky didn’t respond, but instead sat down again in defeat. You were still staring at the floor when you felt his right flesh hand slide into your left. He gently brought your hand to his lips to place a soft kiss. “Sorry, doll,” he mumbled. He took a deep breath and sighed. You could see the tension in his shoulders as his mind whirled with all his concerns. “Steve, what’s gonna happen to your friends now?”

Captain America thought about the question for a moment. “They can take care of themselves. They will be okay.” 

Bucky shook his head a little so his dark hair spilled in his face. “I don’t know if I’m worth all this, Steve.” 

Your chest tightened unbearably at his dejected voice and your head shot up immediately from the spot you had been staring at on the floor. You registered Steve telling Bucky that it wasn’t his fault, that Bucky was brainwashed and it was Hydra’s fault. You watched Bucky tighten his lips and nod to himself. “I know,” he said sadly. “But I still did it.” 

Captain Rogers didn’t say anything to that. “Bucky,” you whispered as you squeezed his hand. His icy blue eyes found yours. “It wasn’t you, the person you really are. You’re a good man. I’m not gonna let you forget that.” You gave him a reassuring smile and kissed his right shoulder for good measure. 

He sighed again in your hair as he kissed the top of your head. Neither of you said anything else. The jet was taking you closer and closer to Siberia where deadly super soldiers were probably getting woken up from being popsicles right at this moment. You were fucking terrified. Even Steve and Bucky were scared for you. But what could any of you do to stop it? 

It was a few hours later that Steve touched the jet down in a snowy Siberia. You looked out the window in wonderment. Suddenly you wished you had a sweater. Your t-shirt and jeans didn’t exactly fit in with the weather here. Captain Rogers must have read your mind because he opened a spare locker on the jet and threw a leather jacket at you. “You should zip up. It’s gonna be a cold one.” He looked disapprovingly at your tennis shoes. “At least tie them tighter,” he sighed as he gestured at your loose laces. You shrugged and sat down to fix your shoes.

Bucky pulled open a gun compartment with the Black Widow’s name on it and began strapping on more weapons. Steve stood next to him. They were murmuring to themselves. You could hear Captain America say something about ‘hot dogs’ and a woman Bucky used to call “Dot”. You frowned a little. Sometimes you forgot that Bucky had another life before the Winter Soldier….and it was a life that didn’t involve you. You had to wonder, did he prefer this other life? The life he could have had with Dot? Were you just a consolation prize…a begrudged future that he never wanted? 

Suddenly you felt sick. Neither Steve nor Bucky should be putting themselves in danger for you. This life wasn’t something either of them ever wanted. Why should they take the hit for you?

“Doll,” your boyfriend’s voice said sternly as he got your attention. “Take this.” He handed you a small handgun that felt too big in your small hand. The cold metal was so icy that it almost burned. “Do you remember how to shoot these?” 

Bucky showed you countless times how to turn off the safety on weapons and protect yourself. You remembered, sure, but you never had to use one. And you sure as hell weren’t going to start now. “Bucky,” you said in a croaky voice. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go in.” 

His eyes softened at the fear in your voice. He turned around to give Steve a questioning look. Captain America tightened his lips as he considered the situation. “Maybe she should stay here,” he acknowledged finally. “We will leave a comm unit with her…keep her updated. But that way we will know what we are dealing with before she comes in the picture. The jet can be locked up. We will pull back if any of the soldiers escape our containment.” 

Bucky nodded slowly to his friend’s reasoning, but his eyes still held questions. He squatted down so he was eye level with where you were sitting. “Stay inside. Don’t open the door for anyone, including me. At least not until you know it’s really me and not the Soldier. Okay?”

“Yeah,” you nodded and glanced down again at the gun lying flat in your palm. 

Bucky took your fingers so they wrapped around the gun. “Love you, sweetheart,” he whispered as his thumb rubbed your pointer finger resting by the trigger on the gun. 

Your heart jumped a little and you swallowed the tears in your eyes. “Love you too, Bucky. Be safe.” 

He nodded and walked off the ramp where Steve was waiting. The door to the jet closed behind them. You were alone. They were going to fight lethal HYDRA assassins. 

Now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a bit writing the Reader in the airport action scenes since my words couldn't do that AMAZING scene justice, so I fast-forwarded a bit to Siberia. Thanks again for reading and any feedback! :)


	5. Zemo is a Meano

You were pacing back and forth on the jet while biting your fingernails. Like, 5 minutes after Steve and Bucky left you decided staying behind was the worst idea in the world. Going in a HYDRA cell that housed evil assassins was scary, but being alone OUTSIDE of a cell that housed evil assassins was even scarier. The wind was howling outside, and you were hilariously freaking the fuck out. 

“You can handle this, everything will be fine. Bucky will be fine. Nothing will happen,” you were mumbling to yourself. 

Suddenly a loud *thud* landed outside by the jet. You screeched and jumped to the side as your heart began racing. You stood frozen and strained to hear the faint sound of footsteps making their way around the jet. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you chanted as you spun around. You still held the pistol in your hand that Bucky gave you. You dove for the comms unit that Steve left with you on the cockpit dashboard, but found nothing but static on the other end. 

Your mind knew what was happening. One---or more--- of the _other_ Winter Soldiers had escaped and found you. Holy crap on a cracker. What were you supposed to do now?? You nearly peed your pants when you heard the sound of the doors to the jet being pried open by some sort of whirring machinery. 

You tried to be brave, but your hand was shaking uncontrollably as you aimed the gun at the door. When the entry way wretched open to reveal the blinding white weather outside, you closed your eyes like a coward and flinched backwards instead of firing your weapon. 

“So, _that’s_ who’s in here…the water squirter,” a familiar voice said that awoke you from your frightened position. 

You straightened up slowly and shielded your eyes as you re-focused on the person at the door. “Mr. Stark?” you asked questioningly. 

“In the flesh. Well, flesh and metal I suppose. Fancy finding you here. I didn’t know who else my heat sensor was picking up,” Tony Stark mused in his Iron Man suit as he walked in the jet and glanced around. His brown eyes found yours and took a long look at your teary eyes and ashen features. “You okay, kid?” he asked gently. 

That was all it took for the avalanche of tears to release. “No I’m not fucking okay!” you practically shouted as you set down the gun your boyfriend gave you. “You’re gonna try to arrest Bucky and Steve and they’re fighting fucking super assassins by themselves and I’m stuck here not knowing what to do since I’m a regular nobody and Bucky should’a had a life with Dolores or Dot or all those fucking chicks before he was frozen and I don’t want him to die for me or get hurt for me but it’s a little fucking late since I’m already stuck here in Siberia!” You sniffed hard and wiped your tears on your leather jacket. “So NO, NOT okay, Mr. Stark!” 

The billionaire looked at you with a blank stare and shook his head a little. “Damn,” he mumbled with wide eyes. “Okay, calm down there, Ice Princess. I’m not here to take in Barnes or Rogers. I may have discovered new information about that psychiatrist guy and I know they were telling the truth. I’m here to help.” 

He looked earnest as he held his palms open to you to show he came in peace. You furrowed your brow and wiped your cheek again. “Can I trust you?” you wondered aloud as you hesitated to move closer to him.  
Stark smiled and chuckled a little to himself. “You shouldn’t trust me if you’re wearing a short dress at a party, but you can definitely trust me now.” You rolled your eyes at his flirty comment but found he made you smile a bit. Tony took it to be a good sign. “C’mon kid…let’s go inside and see what we are up against. Rogers and Barnes will need my help, but leaving you outside here is not a good idea based on what I learned about this Zemo fake psychiatrist character.” 

You nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll go with you.” 

“Good,” he answered as you followed him off the jet to the doorway of the building. “By the way,” he began as he pried open the metal doors to the chamber. “From a total outside perspective, Barnes seems to be pretty smitten with you. You keep showing up in places you shouldn’t be because he wants you around...”

Your heart leapt at the implication behind his words, but you weren’t as sure as he seemed. You didn’t answer, but instead tried to make your footsteps as light as possible down the dimly lit hallways. Stark had his Iron Man helmet off, but he had his hand up as he scanned every nook and crevice. At the end of the hallway he came to a dead end where another metal door was shut. He pried it apart with a small grunt and you found yourself staring at Captain America’s shield and your boyfriend aiming a gun toward you from the other side. 

Bucky mumbled your name in a sigh of release. “That was quick,” you said with a slight smile to Stark who smirked at you in return. 

Iron Man turned his attention toward Steve. “Captain, you seem a little defensive.”

“It’s been a long day,” Captain Rogers acknowledged as he stood up from his crouch and lowered his shield. 

“Stark came to help. He said the psychiatrist is some Zemo guy who is behind everything,” you said to Bucky as he stared daggers at the billionaire. 

His icy blue eyes found yours. “You shouldn’t have left the jet,” your boyriend grunted as he looked warily around the room as if there was somewhere else he could hide you.

You crossed your arms. “Staying there alone was actually more terrifying than coming in here. So here I am, ready to fight or run away but at least I’m here where I know what is going on.” 

Your boyfriend couldn’t seem to argue with that logic. He glanced over to Steve who shrugged. “Let’s keep moving then,” Captain America ordered warily to the group. 

Bucky kept his gun aimed forward as Steve led the way and Tony rounded out the back (keeping you in the middle of the superhero cookie!). The long hallway emptied out into a dimply lit chamber. 

“Holy shit,” you whispered. 

There were five capsules of people seemingly sleeping peacefully sitting down. Steam was emitting from around the compartments, but otherwise there was no movement around. 

“What the---“ Stark mumbled behind you. 

As you walked closer, you could see the bullet holes in the foreheads of each of the people. They were dead. 

“Don’t worry…they died in their sleep. I wouldn’t unleash any more of you in the world,” an accented voice began. 

You spun around and saw a man sitting in a protected room behind a thick panel of windows. Captain America’s shield bounced back from the window proving it to be extra resilient. “You went through an awful lot of trouble to get us here,” Steve began as he hooked his shield to his back and walked closer to the window. 

Your stomach dropped as you looked around the room nervously. Something obviously wasn’t right. You took a few steps back so you stood next to Bucky. He still had his gun raised and aimed toward the window. You registered the man, Zemo or whoever, talking about all the family he lost in Sokovia. That got your attention. 

You turned your head to face the window and found Zemo was staring at you. “My wife was beautiful too,” the man almost sighed in his heavily accented voice. He turned his attention back to the heroes. “You see, if a regime is attacked from the outside, it will just re-build again. But attack it from the inside…it will crumble from within….” 

He pressed a button and disappeared from view. “Where did he go?” you whispered to Bucky. 

Your boyfriend didn’t answer but stepped in front of you so he could back you up closer to the wall. A nearby television monitor switched on to show a blurry black and white video of a seemingly empty motorway. “I know that road,” Tony said with his brow furrowed as his mind began to place it. 

Bucky lowered the gun next to you and grabbed your hand. You looked over to him in confusion and found his expression worried. “Doll, you need to meet us outside,” he said under his breath. 

“Why?” you asked as you turned your attention back to the video feed. A car had crashed violently into a tree and a figure on a motorcycle just pulled up. A flash of silver arm reflected on camera. 

Your boyfriend mumbled your name under his breath in a silent plea. “I need you to go meet us by the jet. Please.” His tone was much more desperate as your eyes darted back and forth between him in person and him on the video where he was throttling the head of an older man. 

“Oh my god, Bucky,” you gasped as you watched the man on the video fall. 

Bucky gave you a little shove toward the door. Your feet moved backwards but you didn’t leave the room. “But that wasn’t you,” you mumbled, almost to yourself as the Winter Soldier choked a woman to death on the screen. 

Tony Stark turned murderously to face Bucky. Captain America said your name so loudly it echoed in the room. “Go,” he ordered right as Tony launched himself toward Bucky to attack. 

“To the jet! Go!” Bucky yelled as he took off running in a different direction. 

You looked torn on who to follow. “Steve! Don’t let Stark hurt him! He didn’t know what he was doing!” you growled and ducked as Tony and Steve were flying across the room. 

“That’s the goal. Now GO,” Steve yelled again. 

This time you didn’t wait to obey as you ran down the hallway. You felt rage boiling in your blood. You needed to catch that fucking asshole Zemo guy. He started this mess. Steve would keep Tony distracted so Bucky could get away. That part you were confident in. 

You were breathless when you reached the snow white landscape outside. You were hunched over as you took deep breaths to recover. You heard a woman’s voice coming from a recorded message. You slowly stood up and looked over in the direction of the nearby cliff. You pulled the gun from your pants that Bucky gave you earlier in the afternoon and cocked it so it was ready. 

You reached Zemo quickly and found him listening to a message on his phone over and over. He looked down at the ground as he heard you approach, but made no other movement to attack. 

“My wife was beautiful like you,” Zemo repeated again with his Sokovian accent. “She always supported me and my work. She just wanted me home more often with my son…I can still picture her face saying goodbye when I sent her to my father’s house for safety.” 

Your hand shook when you raised the gun and pointed it toward him. “I’m sorry for your loss.” And you were. He and his family were caught in the crossfires of an evil robot. “But you tried to take away everything I hold dear too.”

“Ah, the soldier,” Zemo scoffed as he deleted the message on his phone. “A man who is also a victim and a monster. And yet you love him…always wondering if his love is as true as yours, or if you are a pawn in this new world he must survive in.”

“Wh—what?” you squeaked. How did he know that same thought had been plaguing your mind?

The Sokovian chuckled. “Little one, it is not hard to see the fear in your eyes when you look at him…afraid of him leaving, of not loving. It is a shame you will be dragged down with him.” 

Your lip curled in anger at his provoking words. “I love, yes, but I will not be dragged down. Only you will.”

Your finger went to the trigger, but a strong hand grabbed your arm and twisted in such a way that the gun fell from your hand into the powdery snow below. “I have watched vengeance destroy this man,” a heavy African accent began. “I will not let it destroy me...or you. The living is not yet done with him.” 

You looked up to face the dark eyes of the man who was dressed like a cat (didn’t Clint say something about him being a King??). “Do you know the truth now?” you challenged him before you took a single step away from Zemo. 

The man nodded. “Yes, I know it was not Barnes who killed my father. Come, let me take this man. You must go back to your jet to flee this place. I’m afraid the fight is not yet over.”

You held his gaze for a moment before sighing. “Stark,” you breathed airily as your shoulders suddenly felt so much heavier. Zemo did succeed in starting a civil war. 

You gave one last rueful gaze toward the Sokovian being pulled to his feet by the cat-man before turning around and walking back toward the jet. You knew you were in for a rough day when you saw a trail of blood leading up the ramp. 

“Bucky!” you shouted as you ran on board. 

Steve had one of Bucky’s arms wrapped around him so he could gently set him down. Your eyes bugged out. Scratch that----Bucky’s ARM was wrapped on his shoulder--- as in a singular arm. The metal one looked like it had been ripped off. 

“Doll,” your boyfriend mumbled slightly breathless as he rocked a little where he had been sitting. It was like he was knocked out and was just now waking up. 

“Holy shit. Oh fuck. Bucky, jesus christ look at you!” you panicked as you took your sleeve to try to wipe some of the blood off of his face. 

Steve called your name so you reluctantly broke your attention from Bucky. Only then you realized that Captain America was pretty banged up too. “Shit, Steve! Are you okay? Where's Stark?” you asked as you registered his bruised face and slight limp. 

“I’m fine. Tony is fine...his system is shut down. I’m taking us somewhere safe…hold on tight. Get Bucky bandaged up,” Captain Rogers nodded as he flicked some switches above the cockpit and lifted the jet off the ground. 

“Fuck, Bucky,” you sighed again as you continued to wipe the blood off his face. You didn’t even know where you would begin with his ripped off arm. There were tiny wires sticking out of the hole that would spark every few seconds. 

“It’ll be okay, beautiful,” your boyfriend said as he leaned his head back to rest on the wall behind him. “I’m gonna be fine. I have you with me. Tha’s all I need.” 

You smirked slightly and gently pushed his matted hair from his face. “I need you to be okay, Buck. Don’t leave me, okay? I love you. There’s no escaping me.”

A scruffed cheek turned so a blue eye could look at you skeptically (as best as it could through the swollen skin). “Doll, neither heaven nor hell can keep me from you. The only good thing to come out of HYDRA putting my brain in a blender is that they kept me on ice so I could meet you. I wouldn’t even want to go back in time ‘cause you wouldn’t be there.” 

Your chest tightened. “Really, Bucky? Even if you could have Dot or Ethel or all those other chicks?” 

He smirked with his bloody lip. “None of those dames compare to my girl. None.” He adjusted himself with a grunt so he could extend one of his legs out. “Now go on and take care of Stevie first so our pilot doesn’t crash the plane. Then come back to fix me up. I might even let you kiss me to make me feel better.”

You giggled softly as you placed a soft kiss on his forehead. He sighed in contentment underneath you. “Are you sure everything is gonna be okay? What about Stark and the cops?” you asked with your forehead resting against his cheek. 

Mentioning Stark again seemed to sober Bucky up. A flash of guilt crossed his face. “It’ll all work out,” he whispered back after a moment of contemplation. 

You nodded your head. It would all work out….it had to.


	6. Sleep Tight

King T’Challa (or better known to you as the ‘Cat in the Hat’) was able to divert a call to the jet shortly after take-off. He didn’t talk to Steve long, but it was long enough for Captain America to declare that he trusted the Black Panther and re-routed the plane for Wakanda. 

Wakanda, a country known for its isolation and vibranium, was actually fucking gorgeous. Better than any Hawaiian trip you had been on. You had your face pressed against the cockpit of the jet for almost the whole flight while your boyfriend slept. 

You were currently sitting in the fancy living room area of King T’Challa as you waited for Bucky and Steve to come in after they met up with the King and got bandaged up some more. You weren’t thrilled to be leaving Bucky, but the lure of a hot shower won you over. It was nice to be surrounded by luxury after so many months of living in meager apartments in hiding with Bucky. 

The double doors to the room pulled open to reveal T’Challa, Steve, and Bucky. “Your highness,” you began with a nod of your head, “I would like to apologize for any statement I made before insulting you. The water pressure in your shower made up for any transgressions. In fact, I feel like I should be giving you something!”

The king chuckled and gave you a warm smile. “It is my pleasure to do something for a kind soul in need of extra comfort.”

“Well, please keep comforting away! I am all for it. Buck, did you try the shower?? It was like the size of a bedroom!” you continued to gush as you popped a veggie chip in your mouth. 

Your boyfriend rolled his eyes as he sat next to you. You watched him give Steve a pointed look. Captain America cleared his throat. “T’Challa and I have some things we need to go over…security things. We will leave you two alone for a while.” Steve gave you a small smile before following the king out of the room. 

You furrowed a brow as you munched on another veggie chip. “Is that Steve’s way of getting us alone? ‘Cause I’m normally all for fucking, but I feel like you should be healing.” 

Bucky laughed and mumbled your name exasperatedly. 

“Well, I mean we can if you want to,” you shrugged your shoulder with a devilish grin as you went to climb on his lap. He gently caught you halfway and slowly lowered you back to the couch. 

“I gotta talk to you about something,” Bucky said softly as he grabbed your left hand in his right hand (the only hand he currently had left!). 

Your chest tightened a bit. “Is this a break-up talk? I will fucking kick your ass if you break up with me right now. Like, that’s not even an option after all that shit we just went through!” you sputtered frantically. 

“Not a break-up, doll. Not even close! I’m more likely to pull you down an aisle in a church right now,” he chuckled, though you noticed his smile didn’t fully meet his eyes. 

“What is it?” you asked hesitantly.

Bucky took a deep breath. “Been talking to Steve and T’Challa. There’s a storm still coming. We aren’t even close to the war being done. And I’m a liability. All some asshole has to do is say some goddamn words and I’m their puppet. I…and they agree…think it may be best for me to go back under.”

You didn’t quite understand what he was saying. “Under? Like underground in hiding again? That’s a duh. I definitely agree! But I thought the king-cat-in-the-hat said we would be safe here?”

Bucky was shaking his head. “No, doll. Not underground. Under, as in back to sleep----back on the ice. T’Challa has the technology here to monitor me, keep me healthy and safe...keep me outta the wrong hands.”

You stared at him for a moment as your brain tried to fathom what he was suggesting. “Back...under…the...ice?” you stammered, finding it difficult to even say the words. 

Bucky nodded. He brushed a hair out of your face. “Yes, back under. At least until they can figure out how to undo all the programming in my mind. I think it would be best…for everyone. I can’t trust my own mind.” 

His tone was slow and gentle as if he was talking to a child. Your brow was furrowed and you frowned as you still tried to process what he was saying. He wanted to be frozen again? “But you---me----us---“ you tried again to speak. 

“T’Challa will keep you here under his protection. You’ll still be close to me. He will watch after you. So will Steve. Nobody will let you get hurt,” he replied firmly.

So, this was the plan? This was the bright idea for why you found yourself in Wakanda? You wanted to get mad and scream at him. You wanted to pound his chest and unplug every machine so nothing could freeze him again. But instead you felt tingles up and down your body as you went numb. The problem was you knew this was the right decision. You _knew_ Bucky could be turned into a weapon. You had seen it firsthand. And you knew the amount of guilt Bucky carried over his past sins as a brainwashed robot. You saw the sadness in his eyes when you mentioned Stark’s parents. But he was your soul mate, your boyfriend, your cuddler, your protector, your dinner-maker----how were you supposed to survive without him??? 

There was a gentle knock on the door. Steve opened up the door reluctantly. “Ready?” he asked Bucky. 

Your boyfriend nodded. “Yep. We’ll be right there.”

That seemed to wake you up again. “What?” you hissed. 

Bucky stood up and pulled you up with him. He didn’t answer until he had led you past the doors to a nearby elevator with Steve and T’Challa. “Come kiss me goodnight, beautiful. I can’t wait any longer----the longer I’m awake, the longer I’m a liability.”

“You’re going to freeze yourself right now?” you demanded. The anger surged back into you. You felt the angry tears begin to bubble up. 

“For everyone’s safety, yes,” Bucky soothed as he ran his hand through your hair so he could place a reassuring hand on your neck. “No point in waiting. You can’t take advantage of me right now in this state anyway, doll,” he joked with an attempt at a laugh. 

T’Challa cleared his throat. “We have the best scientists in Wakanda. We already started the research on how to undo the triggers in Barnes. They will find their answer quickly.”

The elevator doors opened to reveal a white lab with beeping monitors, x-rays, and diagrams of the human body posted all over. Steve repeated your name gently when you found yourself frozen in place as that numb tingly feeling took over. 

“It will be okay. Don’t worry,” Steve said with a comforting smile as Bucky walked you over to a medical table to sit next to him as a nurse began to insert an IV into his arm. You could tell Steve was down about this, but obviously seemed to be supporting it as the best decision. 

“Holy shit. This is all happening so fast,” you muttered as you felt the room begin to spin a little. 

You felt Bucky push you down so your head was at your knees. “Breathe, sweetheart. Nice easy breaths. No going to sleep on me. That’s my job.” 

His words clicked a lightbulb in your brain. “That’s it!” you declared as you whipped up and caught your breath. “I’m going too!”

There was a brief pause in the room. “Going where, doll?” Bucky asked as he gave Steve a look over your head that seemed to communicate that you had finally lost it. 

You gave your boyfriend a challenging glare. “Going under. I’m going under. If you can do it, then I can too!”

“Absolutely not!” Bucky replied back immediately. He looked horrified at the suggestion. 

“Why not? You don’t need to be a super soldier to be frozen! If something goes wrong, you’ll be right there by my side. Plus let’s face it---I’m an easier person to protect when I stay in one place. Both of us will stay hidden---less questions, less issues,” you pointed out with a triumphant smile. 

“No fucking way,” your boyfriend growled as he squeezed your hand a little tighter.

“Steve----your Kingness----back me up on this. Why can’t I be frozen too?” you demanded. 

Both men looked at you, looked at each other, and then looked at you again. They seemed to be at a loss for words. Steve was the first to speak. “…can she be put under with no complications?” He seemed to be directing his question to the king. 

T’Challa spoke over his shoulder in Wakandan to one of the doctors in the room. He waited as the man gave him a response. “My team can do it easily with no problems. If we do it, it is her choice,” the king offered simply. 

Bucky looked outraged at the suggestion before he made eye-contact with you. His gazed softened at the desperation in your eyes. “Please,” you begged simply as you reached out to cup his face. “Let me do this with you.”

Your boyfriend looked hesitant for a moment before he licked his lips. “You would stay with me?” His voice sounded strained as though the idea of what you were suggesting pained him greatly.

You smiled. “Yes, Buck. Of course I would stay with you. There’s no getting rid of me, remember? Look---I am already dressed!” You pulled off your shorts to reveal your modest panties so you were left in nothing but your undergarments and a tank top. "See? Now I can match you in your undershirt. Though you're still wearing your pants---I guess I could've kept mine on. But this is comfortable so I'm just gonna stay like this!"

Steve couldn’t help but break into laughter at the absurdity of your gesture. Even Bucky shook his head as he chuckled. A nurse was at your side and inserted an IV into your arm once T’Challa nodded his assent to the woman. 

“I can’t believe you are doing this,” Bucky looked at you incredulously as you both were led to the sleeping tube. His stance was tense, but his tone was defeated as if he couldn’t find a reason to not let you stay. You wondered if he was secretly relieved at the idea that you would be with him. 

“Believe it, pal. I’ll even let you cuddle me,” you joked as they strapped you in next to him. 

Steve and T’Challa both stood in front of the tube and watched the final preparations. “We will keep you both safe,” Captain America said firmly. “And we will see you again soon.” 

“Sweet dreams,” the Wakanda King offered as he gave a small salute with his hand. 

Your heart began to beat wildly as they closed the tube over you. Suddenly your inner claustrophobic came out as you felt so restricted in the room. Why did you think this was a good fucking idea??? You were strapped down in a tube the size of a straw! 

A tight squeeze to your hand brought your mind back to the icy blue eyes staring at you. “It’ll be okay, doll. Nice deep breaths when the gas comes in. I’m right here with you, beautiful. You know I love you, right?”

You nodded and allowed yourself to relax and focus on his thumb rubbing circles on your hand. “Love you too, soldier,” you breathed back. You would be okay, you told yourself over and over. You were with Bucky. 

“Still can’t believe my girl is getting put on ice with me,” you heard Bucky mumble in a disbelieving chuckle. 

The fog began to steam into the room. “Your girl is not leaving your side,” you smiled back as you took deep breaths of the gas. You felt one last squeeze to your hand before the gas lulled you into a gentle blackness of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! As much as it pained me, I decided the Bucky was still going to put himself back under until they figured out a way to undo his mind scramble. But there was no way the Reader was going to leave him without being physically forced. So this was my attempt to bridge the two sides :) I'm going to leave the story there since I don't know what will become of Bucky (perhaps in the Black Panther movie??) :) Thanks again for all the wonderful comments, kudos, and feedback!


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